Wednesday, January 13, 2016

At the end of 2015 Wisconsin State Representative Bob Gannon (R-(Gun)Slinger) proved himself to be no ordinary fool when he issued a statement in response to yet another shooting at a mall by calling for vigilantism:

Gannon said allowing citizens with permits to carry concealed weapons into areas like shopping malls would enhance the public’s safety.

“Wisconsin does not have a death penalty law, but with significant practice and careful aim, law-abiding citizens can help clean our society of these scumbags,” Gannon said. “Criminals no longer have any fear of our courts or our prisons, so it’s time that the citizens of this fine state stand up and fight back.”

Already this year, Gannon is set to break all records for being an asshole.

On January 6th, Gannon issued another statement, blaming Wisconsin's economic woes not on the Republicans' own failed policies but on the African American community in Milwaukee:

Milwaukee finished the year with an unemployment rate of approximately twenty percent for
their black population. This is almost four times as high as the white unemployment rate for the city and the state. This means that Milwaukee leads in murders and mayhem per capita, with a large number of these crimes occurring in mainly black neighborhoods, the same neighborhoods with the worst unemployment rates in the state.

Could one make a connection between employment opportunities and the level of crime on those same streets? What employer will build or expand when they fear muggings, carjackings, attempted murder, or other serious criminal threats to their employees? One cannot ignore the correlation between jobs and crime, employment opportunities will only expand in these neighborhoods when the violence is stopped.

Several Democratic state lawmakers blasted Gannon - and rightfully so - for his inane, racist statement.

On Tuesday, during the first session of the state assembly, Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) added to the criticism. Gannon responded by giving Barca the bird:

Several Democratic lawmakers from Milwaukee chastised state Rep. Bob Gannon, R-Slinger, for his comments, which they believed were racially charged. After a heated back-and-forth, Gannon flashed Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, his middle finger and walked out of the Assembly chamber.

Gannon later issued an insincere apology and at the same time, doubled down and doubled down again on his own idiocy and racism:

But while Gannon apologized for losing his cool on the floor, he doubled down on the spirit and content of his original comments.

Gannon said Milwaukee's mayor, police chief and district attorney are failing to keep the city's citizens safe. He argued that the city's criminal activity is spilling into his district, which neighbors Milwaukee.

"Put your focus where it belongs and stop worrying about me," Gannon said, addressing Milwaukee Democrats. "Your drugs, your crime knows no border. The 58th Assembly District is being impacted by the out-of-control crime in the city of Milwaukee."

At the time of this writing, we have been unable to confirm that Gannon has eye holes cut out of his pillow cases.

At his current pace, Gannon is not only putting himself to be an early contender for Ass of the Year, but just might end up being one of the top Republican presidential candidates.